ap gov exam review stuff

preamble

purpose of government

article 1

legislative powers

article 2

executive powers

article 3

judicial powers

article 4

relations among states

article 5

amendment process

article 6

national supremacy (also debts from previous government will be paid)

article 7

ratification process

participatory democracy

broad participation in politics and society

pluralist democracy

organized group based activism by citizens with common interests all striving for the same political goals

elite democracy

discourages participation, the majority of citizens cede power to the wealthy/educated

confederacy

power lies within the states (firm league of friendship)

federal government

power is shared between national and state governments

bicameral legislature

2 house congress

house of representatives

states representation would be based on population (directly elected)

senate

state representation would be equal (chosen by state legislatures until 17th amendment)

three fifths compromise

5 slaves counted as 3 people in counting for congressional representation

separation of powers

power is divided into different branches: legislative, executive and judicial branch

makes laws

what does the legislative branch do?

enforces laws

what does the executive branch do?

interprets laws

what does the judicial branch do?

federalism

power is divided between national and state governments

popular sovereignty

power comes from people (constitutional convention)

limited government

the government is not all powerful (need warrant)

judicial review

supreme court decides if government action is constitutional. set by marbury v. madison

checks and balances

each branch of government checks the power of the other two branches. (example: the senate confirms presidential appointments)

federalists

supported the new constitution due to the need for a strong central government

antifederalists

opposed the new constitution because the national government would be strong and people’s liberty was at stake

federalist papers

85 essays written by alexander hamilton (wrote 2/3rds) james madison and john jay in support of the constitution

federalist 10

madison advocates to control factions through a large commercial republic (elected officials) angry mobs will not have power, elected officials will

federalist 51

madison thinks factions will be controlled through a system of checks and balances and separation of powers in the new government (3 branches dilutes power)

brutus 1

necessary and proper clause will continually increase the power of the central government. people in power will do everything to expand power. no way congress can be big enough to represent the will of the people

proposing an amendment

two thirds vote of both houses of congress (or ⅔ vote national convention)

ratifying an amendment

three fourths vote of state legislatures (or ¾ vote of special state conventions)

bill of rights

first 10 amendments added as promised to gain ratification support from the anti federalists

initiatives

states when people sign a petition to have the measure go to the ballot for residents to determine if it will become law

referendums

start in state legislatures and then go to the ballot for residents to determine if it will become law

recall

voters can petition for a special election to remove an office holder before their term ends (example- gray davis california)

full faith and credit clause

judicial decrees and contacts made in one state are binding in another

privileges and immunities clause

citizens of each state are given the same rights as citizens in all other states

extradition clause

states must extradite or return criminals

interstate compacts

contracts between states that carry the force of law (drives license compact

ideology

a comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas

liberal ideology

favors less government control over social behavior and more greater regulation of businesses and the economy

conservative ideology

more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy

margain of error

4% up or down for a 1,000 person sample

sampling error

random sample may not be found in options

lack of information

people may not know what they are talking about

difficulty measuring intensity

true opinions may not have been expressed

political socialization

the process by which one develops political opinions

gender gap

the tendency of women to vote for democrats in higher percentages than men

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

exit poll

a survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and wh

benchmark poll

a survey taken at the beginning of a politcal campaign in order to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters

tracking poll(horse race)

a survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout the campaign (who is winning and losing)

interest group

a group that tries to encourage or prevent change in public policy without being elected

free rider problem

individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining (enjoying the benefits of a labor union without belonging to the union)

PACs

raise money to donate to candidates

super pac

an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign

lobbying

applying pressure to the policy making process

gatekeeper

mass media decides what makes the news

scorekeeper

mass media keeps track of success and failures

watchdog

mass media looks for corruption, scandal or inefficiency (watergate scandal)

horse-race journalism

coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign (who is winning and losing in the polls) than on policy issues

agenda setting

public talks about stories they see (usually doesnt influence publics opinion of story)

media bias

the slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular party ideology (huffington post, breitbart, MSNBC, fox news)

media consolidation

the concentration of ownership of the media into fewer corporation

electorate

the people who are entitled to vote in an election

suffrage

the right to vote

voter fatigue

too many elections in federal system

voter apathy

simple lack of concern for election

voter efficacy

feeling your votes counts (some people dont have it)

political party

a group who attempts to win elections to acquire power

15th amendment

right to vote can’t be denied due to color

19th amendment

right to vote can’t be denied due to sex

23rd amendment

washingtonians can vote in presidential elections

24th amendment

eliminated poll taxes

26th amendment

lowered voting age to 18

rational choice voting

voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest

retrospective voting

voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be re elected based on the recent past

prospective voting

voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

party line voting

supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices across the ballot

nominations

primaries and caucuses are held in each state(both parties) to see which candidates can receive the majority of delegates. candidates run in open and closed primaries/caucuses

national convention

delegates officially nominate their party’s candidate and they write a party reform

general election(electoral college)

the popular vote in each state determines how of electors will vote(a candidate needs 270 electoral votes)

incumbent

a person seeking reelection

federal elections commission (FEC)

independent agency that regulates elections

hard money

political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed

soft money

contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going a particular candidate and thus avoids various legal limitations

state representation (house of reps)

435 members, \# divided out to states based on their population (census counts every 10 years)

election of representatives

always directly elected by citizens in their district

state representation (senate)

100 members based on state equality (2 per state)

congress

passes laws

president

issues executive orders

the agencies set regulations (rulemaking)

judicial

the court sets precedents by ruling on a case (some ruling require governments to spend money in remedies)

keynesian economics

the government should control the economy by adding or removing money from the economy based on the demand. this could fight inflation

supply side theory

fiscal conservatives believe that if you tax people less then they will have more money to spend

chief legislator

signs or vetoes legislation

bully pulpit

uses prestige and visibility of the office to mobilize the american public